After seeing her three Blackpink bandmates rack up multiple hits on the Billboard charts in America and even top-selling albums on their own, Jisoo has finally followed her friends with her own debut smash. The South Korean superstar's 'Eyes Closed,' a collaboration with former One Direction member Zayn, has entered several Billboard rankings in the United States. While the track has already disappeared from some lists and is falling on others, it is gaining momentum in a new arena: radio airplay.
Jisoo Earns Her First Solo Radio Hit
'Eyes Closed' debuts on the Adult Pop Airplay chart this week at No. 34. This tally ranks the most successful songs on radio stations across the country that focus on adult pop—a more mature side of the top 40 sound. Songs are ranked by total audience impressions, and the Adult Pop Airplay chart is one of three focused on the biggest pop cuts on the airwaves, alongside the Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary charts. For Jisoo, this marks her first appearance on any Billboard radio chart as a solo artist, a significant milestone in her career outside of Blackpink.
The achievement is historic not just for Jisoo but for K-pop as a whole, as it demonstrates the growing influence of K-pop solo artists on American radio. While Blackpink as a group has had radio success, individual members are increasingly carving out their own paths. Jisoo's entry onto the Adult Pop Airplay chart follows similar wins from Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa, each of whom has found varying degrees of solo radio play.
Zayn Returns to the Charts After a Hiatus
While Jisoo collects her first hit on the Adult Pop Airplay ranking, Zayn earns his fifth. 'Eyes Closed' stands as his lowest-peaking placement so far, but the track is just getting started. Zayn has previously climbed as high as No. 2 on this chart alongside Taylor Swift with 'I Don't Want to Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker).' That song became a massive hit, and Zayn's other entries include 'Pillowtalk' and 'Dusk Till Dawn' featuring Sia. It has been more than seven years since the former One Direction singer last landed a hit on the Adult Pop Airplay chart, as 'Let Me' climbed as high as No. 29 back in the summer of 2018. This new collaboration with Jisoo brings him back to the radio charts after a prolonged absence, showing his enduring appeal.
Jennie and Jisoo Are Now Tied With One Radio Smash Each
Jisoo ties her Blackpink friend Jennie, as both have reached the Adult Pop Airplay chart with just one song each. Jennie recruited Dua Lipa for 'Handlebars,' which spent only one frame at No. 40 earlier this year. That song was a dance-pop anthem that benefited from Dua Lipa's star power. Now Jisoo matches that feat with 'Eyes Closed,' a moody pop ballad that showcases her vocal range alongside Zayn's signature falsetto. The two songs represent different sides of the members' solo identities—Jennie leaning into sleek pop, Jisoo opting for a more introspective R&B-influenced sound.
Rosé and Lisa Have Collected Multiple Solo Radio Wins
Both Rosé and Lisa have sent three tunes each to the Adult Pop Airplay tally as solo stars. Rosé claims the loftiest win ever by any K-pop star, as 'Apt.,' her team-up with Bruno Mars, missed out on becoming the first No. 1 ever by just one spot, peaking at No. 2. that song dominated radio for weeks and became a global phenomenon. Rosé also sent 'On My Mind' with Alex Warren and 'Toxic Till the End' to the list, both of which demonstrated her ability to cross over into mainstream pop. Lisa cracked the uppermost tier alongside Maroon 5 when 'Priceless' soared to No. 6. Lisa's two other smashes—her own 'Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)' and 'Born Again,' which credits both Doja Cat and Raye—coincidentally only lifted to No. 38. Despite their lower peaks, these songs kept Lisa in the radio conversation and expanded her fanbase.
The success of Rosé and Lisa on the Adult Pop Airplay chart raises the bar for Jisoo and Jennie. With multiple hits, Rosé and Lisa have proven that K-pop solo acts can sustain radio presence over time. Jisoo's debut at No. 34 is a promising start, but she will need additional releases to match her bandmates' longevity.
KPop Demon Hunters and Other K-pop Solo Achievements
Looking beyond Blackpink, only one other track from a solo female K-pop artist has found its way to the Adult Pop Airplay ranking. 'Golden,' from Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters, has thus far danced its way to No. 5, becoming the second-highest-rising K-pop-leaning hit of all time. That track is credited to the girl group Huntr/x as well as the three women who actually sing the tune – and of that bunch, Ejae is known primarily for her work in K-pop. This shows that the Adult Pop Airplay chart is slowly opening up to more K-pop artists, though Blackpink members remain the most prominent.
'Eyes Closed' Scores the Top Debut on the Adult Pop Airplay Chart
'Eyes Closed' is one of only two debuts on the Adult Pop Airplay chart this time around, and it is the biggest win of the pair. Coming in several spaces further down, at No. 38, is 'No Broke Boys' from production outfit Disco Lines and singer-songwriter Tinashe. That song has been climbing on streaming platforms, but 'Eyes Closed' outperformed it in radio audience impressions this week. The debut suggests that radio programmers are willing to take a chance on Jisoo and Zayn's collaboration, perhaps driven by the combined fanbases of Blackpink and One Direction.
'Eyes Closed' Climbs to a New Pop Radio Peak
As 'Eyes Closed' appears on the Adult Pop Airplay chart for the first time, the track also climbs to a new peak on the slightly more competitive Pop Airplay list. The poppy collaboration opened at No. 38 last frame, and this time around improves to No. 33. This upward movement indicates that while the song may be descending on global streaming charts, it is gaining traction on American radio. The Pop Airplay chart focuses on mainstream top 40 stations, and reaching No. 33 is a solid achievement for a K-pop solo debut. Many K-pop songs never break into the top 40 on this chart, so Jisoo's climb is notable.
'Eyes Closed' Slips Globally and Quickly Vacated the Hot 100
At the same time, after a month on both of Billboard's worldwide rosters, 'Eyes Closed' is quickly descending. The tune lives at No. 100 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and at No. 161 on the Billboard Global 200. These rankings combine streaming and sales data from around the world, and the decline suggests that the initial burst of interest from Blackpink and Zayn fans is waning. 'Eyes Closed' spent just one frame on the Hot 100, where it earned Jisoo her first solo smash when it launched at No. 72. That single week on the all-genre chart was a victory in itself, but unless radio airplay continues to grow, the song may not return to the Hot 100.
The global performance mirrors the typical pattern for K-pop solo releases: a strong debut driven by fandom, followed by a rapid drop unless the song catches on with the general public. Radio airplay can help sustain a song's longevity, and 'Eyes Closed' is now benefiting from that. Whether it can climb further on the Adult Pop Airplay chart remains to be seen, but for now, Jisoo has achieved a historic first that joins her with her Blackpink bandmates in the solo radio sphere.
Source: Forbes News